Nothing But The Best
by DearLadyDisdain
Summary: Short stories of our favorite couple, inspired by the songs of Frank Sinatra. More Pepperony than you can handle.
1. Come Fly With Me

I'm starting a new thing where I'm writing a series of one shots based off various Frank Sinatra songs. I know, cheesy, but if you listen to them with Tony and Pepper in mind, they totally work. This one is based off of two songs: _Fly Me To The Moon_ and _Come Fly With Me_.

* * *

Pepper had no idea that she could be such a poster child for Apple products.

Her MacBook Pro was transferring files to the shiny new Mac on her desktop in Tony's home office specially designed for her use. Her iPod was on shuffle and hooked up to a nice pair of speakers in the corner, and she had lost her heels long ago and was swaying to Jack Johnson. All she needed was an iPhone and Steve Jobs should be knocking on her door any minute, begging her to be in an ad campaign.

Tony had long since shrunk into his workshop, and Pepper was reveling in the non-interrupted work time. It was eleven PM and she needed to crank out e-mail responses fast, and they depended on the files that were being transferred onto her new Mac. Her pleasure at being uninterrupted was short lived though, because the intercom on the wall pinged and Tony's voice came through.

"Pepper? Can you meet me on the roof?"

Pepper stopped dancing and walked over to the intercom. "Right now, Mr. Stark?"

"Yes Pepper, right now. That will be all."

The intercom went dead, and Pepper glared at it for a second. After accepting the eccentricities of her boss, she slipped her feet back into her heels and set off for the roof, which was three flights of stairs above her.

After making a moderately painful climb up to the roof, Pepper was waiting by the edge of the roof, leaning against the barrier and staring at the few stars she could see in the sky. She abandoned her shoes again, and the fact that Tony was late for a meeting that he set up in his own home didn't faze her in the least. She was used to this kind of thing, and now she had taken to looking at the roof entrance for any sign of her boss.

"Behind you."

Pepper swore she jumped a foot in the air as Tony whispered that in her ear.

_Wait, behind? The only thing behind me is the ocean._

"Seriously Pepper, you have to watch your surroundings." Tony said, hovering. He was wearing the exoskeleton of his suit so that his regular clothes were still on, but he looked weighed down with all the equipment on his legs, arms, and chest.

"Tony, don't ever do that again," said Pepper, still freaked out. Tony laughed and produced a martini from behind his back – an extra dry martini with three olives.

"I figured I owed you," he said sheepishly.

Pepper remained silent as she took the martini from his hand. She really did not want to talk about the Fireman's Benefit Dinner right here and right now. She sipped the martini as Tony hovered over the roof and turned off the flight stabilizers. He landed with a small thud and stood where he was.

"I got a little preoccupied that night, and I never officially said I was sorry."

Pepper smiled a small smile and said, "You never had to, but I accept anyway."

Tony clapped his hands together, but they made a funny metal sound because of the stabilizers. "Great. In that case, would you like to go for a little flight, Miss Potts?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Tony, I already told you that the only thing I want to do with Iron Man is to make sure he comes home safe. That does not include going for joy rides."

Tony waved his hand and stepped closer to her. "This isn't a joy ride, I'm inviting you on board."

Pepper quirked an eyebrow. "On board, where exactly?"

Tony just smirked and when Pepper didn't reply he said, "Come on! It will be great. When was the last time you felt the wind blow through your hair?"

"The last time you drove with the top down, and I was too busy being afraid for my life to enjoy it."

Tony took two steps closer. "This is completely different. The last time we were on a plane was to go to the board meeting in New York, and that was no fun."

"Quite the contrary, Mr. Stark. I had a lot of fun on that last flight. I beat my Tetris record."

Tony took another step closer, closing the small amount of distance between them. "I can promise you that this will be way more fun than Tetris."

He was close enough that Pepper could smell his cologne that was so uniquely him. "Tony, I have more work to do if you're going to keep this up."

Tony came in for the kill and wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist. Pepper felt her breath hitch a little bit and her heart shoot up into her throat. "Miss Potts, this won't take more than five minutes of your time."

Pepper mustered up all of her courage. "Tony, you complicate everything. For all I know, you could keep me up here for hours." She winced at how badly that came out.

Tony seemed to ignore the accidental double meaning and kept going. "Pepper, look at me." Pepper looked up into his eyes and she found she couldn't look away. They were like that for what might have been one minute or one year, but it didn't seem to matter. Then Pepper noticed that the moon behind Tony had just come into her line of sight. When she looked down, she found they were hovering about ten feet off the roof.

Pepper immediately locked her arms around Tony's neck and held on for dear life while whispering, "I hate you," over and over again. They began to rise even higher and Pepper became more comfortable with being this high up. She looked at Tony's face and it looked so serene and carefree. She felt a pang of sadness at the fact that she had never seen this expression on him except for the few times she had caught him sleeping. Tony noticed that she was looking at his face and smiled. Pepper smiled back.

They ascended even higher and Pepper began to get goose bumps, even though it was a warm summer night with only a warm wind to make her hair whip around. Tony looked at Pepper and saw something he had known but never thought about: she was a goddess. Her fiery red hair blew all around her and her pale skin looked beautifully white bathed in the moonlight and her eyes cast a sparkle that no model could ever achieve. He was suddenly aware of her arms around his neck, his around her waist, and how close in proximity their faces were to each other.

Pepper marveled at all the sights from the air. Not only the scenery around Tony's house, but the ocean and the world in general. She looked into Tony's eyes to find them looking back at her. They were sharing a tender moment, and they both knew where it was headed. The only question: who would save the other first?

Tony's timing was impeccable. Just as Pepper was sure one of them was going to kiss the other, Tony began to sing.

"_Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away…"_

Pepper laughed as Tony continued to hover and sing at the same time. She rested her head against his neck and barely noted that he hesitated in the song when she did so. He picked up, however, and they continued like this for a while.

"_Once I get you up there, I'll be holding you so near  
You may hear angels cheer – because we're together."_

Pepper realized that this was headed towards a dangerous place, and they were fast approaching the point of no return. "Mr. Stark, I have work to do."

"You're up here with me – and I think we're on a first name basis by now."

"What ever your name is, I still have work to do."

Tony looked put out. "But I'm singing Sinatra!"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the Chairman of the Board would be pleased with your rendition, but some of us have to work."

"Pepper, I'm taking you on a personal flight and serenading you with Sinatra. Do you know how many women would kill to be where you are right now?"

"Well, I'm not _that woman_," said Pepper softly.

Tony looked at her and said, "No, you aren't. You're not _that woman_; you're Pepper Potts," before crashing his lips onto hers.

Pepper was so shocked that she remained frozen while Tony kissed her but, after a few seconds of a completely blank mind, she returned his passion. Not surprisingly he was an excellent kisser, just like she had imagined in a few of the fantasies she allowed herself ever once in a while. She lost all worry of any paparazzi chasing them at this altitude, and she allowed herself to be fully immersed in the kiss.

Tony was ecstatic that she was returning this kiss. She wasn't too bad at kissing either, and he had a mental image of the two of them silhouetted in front of the moon, Pepper's hair whipping around. In perfect contrast to the white moon, they would be solid black against the moon and the deep royal blue of the night sky. He felt her melt into his arms and forgot all consequences of what they were doing. That is, until Pepper got very into the kiss and a small voice in the back of Tony's brain told him to stop for her sake. The voice began to grow until he finally pulled away from the kiss. He knew the damage was done, but he could prevent what would surely follow: Pepper's initiation into the mile-high club.

"Pepper, I can't let you do this. If I do, I know you will beat yourself up over it."

Pepper nodded and remained quiet all the way back to the roof. The second Tony's boots touched the ground, Pepper jumped away from him.

"Uh," began Pepper awkwardly.

"Yeah," replied Tony. They were silent again.

"Umm…" said Pepper again.

"… Yeah." They remained silent again until Tony said, "So… um… work?"

"Yeah… work," said Pepper quickly. She opened her mouth and it looked as if she wanted to say something, but she closed it and exited the roof without another word. Tony flew down to the garage and Pepper leaned against the other side of the roof door, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into. Pepper gathered herself and walked back down the stairs to her office where her files finished transferring. She responded to e-mails with surprising speed and packed up all of her things. She walked to the intercom and pushed the button. "Mr. Stark? I'm leaving for the night."

There were a few seconds before Tony's voice said, "Alright. Have a pleasant evening Miss Potts."

Pepper headed out towards the foyer, but was met by Tony leaning nonchalantly against the wall. There was an awkward pause as Pepper stood rooted to where she was, holding her bag. Tony leaned against the wall, but he looked anything from relaxed. "Look, Pepper, we really need to talk about what just happened."

"I agree," said Pepper stonily, willing herself to look anywhere but at his lips.

"Well then, lets talk."

There was a long silence before Pepper said very quickly, "Wecantbetogether." Despite the speed, Tony still understood it.

"Why not?" he said quietly.

Pepper took a long breath. "Well, the paparazzi would have a field day, Stark Industries would make us do loads of paperwork to make sure I didn't sue, nobody would take what I do seriously, I look like another assistant that you bedded in a moment-"

"Pepper, out of all those reasons, not one of them talks about the way you feel about me."

Pepper paused again. "You know you're like my best friend, Tony."

He stepped forward. "You still didn't say how you feel about me."

Pepper ran her hand over her mouth. "What do you want me to say? I mean-"

Tony took her arm and steered her towards the couch. "I want you to tell me exactly how you feel. No bullshit, just the full on truth."

Pepper sat on the couch and dropped her bag beside her while Tony remained standing. "You want the truth? You make my body do all kinds of stupid things around you, I want to be with you all the time, and whenever I had to kick out one of your girls, I always was a little extra mean. It wasn't this way when you hired me, but over time… and it really happened when you were in Afghanistan, and…" Pepper's heart was beating a mile a minute and if her eyes weren't deceiving her, it seemed that Tony's Arc Reactor had just brightened.

"So what exactly are you saying?" It was said quietly, and felt heavy.

Pepper sighed. "Tony, in other words: I love you." Tony kneeled down and looked her straight in the eye.

"That's exactly what I hoped you'd say." With that, he kissed her fully on the lips.

This time, Pepper sank greedily into the kiss as Tony picked her up. Pepper wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as they climbed the steps to the roof. If they had enough time, they might even stargaze.

* * *

Cute? Cheesy? Fluffy? I know I liked it. Drop a line if you went, "Aw," or for any other reason.


	2. It Had To Be You

Ok, so I'm kinda cheating here. "It Had To Be You" was preformed and recorded by Frank Sinatra, but the song that inspired me to finally buckle down and write this was inspired by the Motion City Soundtrack song of the same name (don't worry, they're very different). So without further ado, here's my first attempt at writing from Tony's perspective.

------

Here's the paradox of my life: I have all these women dying to be mine, and the one I want is the one I can't have.

I suppose it plays into that whole, "you want what you can't have," bullshit, but it's the story of my life. Well, at least for the last few years.

Before Pepper, I would sleep with my assistants and they would be gone within a matter of two weeks. It was almost a schedule that I kept fairly regularly, and it was that way for several years. Then she came along.

I wish I could say I knew that she was "it" from the moment I saw her, that I could say she stormed into my life in those sexy heels and her power suits, but it didn't happen quite that way. The first time we technically met, I spilled scotch all over her sweater at some office party and (drunkenly) insulted said sweater. I'm sure she still holds a grudge over that sweater. Anyway, she was in accounting and caught an error that I made, and I hired her on the spot. My reasoning: if she's smart enough to catch one of my once-every-thirty-years mistakes, she's smart enough to run my life.

I don't regret that decision for a minute. She's done a fabulous job so far.

But at first, I could tell she wasn't going to sleep with me. She refused me multiple times, and eventually I backed off.

Ok, that's a lie. I just keep the approaches to a minimum.

For the longest time, I thought of her like I thought of Rhodes: one of my best friends who kept me from killing myself or doing something stupid. Then I saw her and her amazing legs at a benefit, and I knew I definitely didn't think of Rhodes in the way that I was thinking of Pepper at that moment.

Another paradox: I'm a multi-billionaire, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and she has complete control over me. I listen to whatever she says and do what I'm told (for the most part). The only other person who had such influence over me was my mom.

But I'm positive it was after I was captured that I realized that I wanted Pepper as more than just another person to add to my number. She meant more to me than that, and it took me almost dying to realize it.

And of all the women I wanted to see for the rest of my days, it had to be her. It could have been one of many famous actresses, one of the many Maxim cover girls, or even that Russian ballet dancer who threw my back out. I wondered why for the longest time, and I figured it out when I came home from a mission one night, and saw Pepper sleeping on my workshop couch, waiting faithfully. The reason I wanted her over the others is because she was only one to stand by me through anything. She's put up with so much from me, and I'm eternally grateful.

Maybe it was some kind of joint effort between karma and fate, making me want the one who had refused me so many times. Now, my stomach does a flip whenever she smiles, and my heart gets caught around my adam's apple when she laughs. I love her so much it hurts, and I've already seen a doctor about it. He told me to get laid. I laughed.

And I'm thinking about all of these things right now as I'm sitting across from her on the couch while she's typing some kind of e-mail reply. She looks amazing, and there goes my stomach again. I can't believe just how much I love her. It's probably this thought that leads me to blurt, "Why did we never get involved? I mean, in a romantic way."

She stops typing immediately and doesn't look up. The only sound is the ranting of Keith Olberman in the background on the TV, but I don't think either of us are really hearing the sounds. She stiffens, and slowly returns to typing. I hear her almost mumble, "I'm your employee. It would be highly inappropriate."

I act on my first instinct. "You're fired," I blurt.

She looks up this time, a look of intense confusion etched into her face. Before she can say anything, I've covered the distance between us on the couch and I'm kissing her. My brain is throwing a 'Mission Accomplished' party, her laptop falls to the floor, and she doesn't move to pick it up. I don't know how long we stay this way, but I pull back and whisper, "Now that I'm not your boss, I think this entire situation just became very appropriate."

I hear a soft murmur of agreement, and I feel like the happiest man alive. We're about to continue making out until she stops me and says, "In all seriousness, do I still have a job?"

I scoff. "Without you, I wouldn't survive a week."

------

Aw. Wasn't that adorable? Let me know if you think so! *wink, wink* Happy New Year!


	3. Someone To Watch Over Me

I wasn't sure which song to use next, and this was actually going to be a separate one-shot. Turned out that this fit right in here. Tell me if you can point out the movie reference. The song: "Someone To Watch Over Me"

Dislcaimer: Totally NOT my characters/franchise.

* * *

Pepper cracked open one eye at the sound of her phone vibrating on her bedside table. Her arm reached for the phone as she eyed the clock.

1:49 AM

_This had better be a big emergency_, she thought darkly.

Caller I.D.: Tony Stark.

She sighed and answered. "What did you do now?"

His breathing sounded irregular and she could sense the pain in his voice. "Um, could you come over?"

"Why?"

"Well… I just got back from a really tough mission, and, well… I feel like shit."

"I think that's how you're supposed to feel, Tony. Now go to bed."

"Wait! I mean, the reason I feel like shit is because I got hit pretty badly. Like, everywhere on my body hurts."

Pepper sighed again. "I left a big bottle of Vicadin next to your bed. Now get some sleep."

"Pep, I think I may have some internal bleeding."

"Then call an ambulance!"

"I don't want a lot of attention. Can you just come over?"

Pepper let out a deep sigh and looked at her clock again.

1:52 AM

"Damnit, Tony. You had better be in some serious pain, because I am NOT happy."

"I owe you big time."

"Yes you do. Be there in 10 minutes."

She was there in 7. Pepper grabbed some ice packs from the freezer and a glass of water. "Mr. Stark is in his bedroom," droned Jarvis. Pepper nodded and walked through the dark house, her bare feet slapping the cold stone in silence. She pushed open his bedroom door to find him shirtless, sitting up on his bed, and grimacing in pain.

"How many did you take already?" she asked, eyeing the open bottle of painkillers.

"Five," he breathed. Pepper frowned. The dosage was 2. Tony must have seen her face, because he said, "Two is NOT going to help me, Pep. Plus, I've done worse."

Pepper didn't reply as she applied the ice packs to his legs. "What the hell did you do?"

Tony attempted to lie down on the bed, which only led to him letting out a cry of pain. Pepper looked and saw his back was entirely black with bruise. "Again, what did you do?"

He sat up again. "I was back in Afghanistan. The bastards got me with an RPG while I was in the air," he gestured at his upper body, " – then they used light bombs instead of bullets," he motioned to his legs, " – and then I got ran over by a tank, which explains my back."

Pepper's mouth was open. "You got run over. By a tank."

Tony nodded. "So, yeah. That's why I'm pretty sure I have some broken ribs."

Pepper immediately reached for her phone. "No ambulances," said Tony. "I don't want another media circus at my door."

Pepper utilized her Red Cross training and began to feel for broken ribs. "Too late for that," she mumbled.

Tony winced every time she touched his ribs. "See – they're broken."

"They're not broken," said Pepper, still feeling for cracks. "You're bruised to next year, but they're not broken. Somehow."

Tony's expression eased and she saw the painkillers start to work. Pepper propped up his bed pillows and he sat back, looking slightly more relaxed. Pepper got used to watching over Tony – making sure that he didn't do something fatally stupid – and she let up on her annoyance at being woken up in the middle of the night. Now, she was only concerned with the well being of her boss.

She continued to feel for cracks and fractures in his arms and legs. Every time she touched him, he let out a small, "Ow." Somewhere after the tenth "Ow," she finally gave up. "Goddamnit Tony! Where doesn't it hurt?"

He thought for a moment before pointing to his left wrist. "Here," he pouted.

Pepper took his hand and gave it a small kiss. Tony looked surprised for about a half second before he said, "Here," and offered up his right elbow.

Pepper gave that a kiss as well. Tony eased back into his pillows and pointed at his left eyebrow. "Here."

She kissed that too. She removed a pillow from behind him and threw it to the other side of the bed. They looked at each other for a long time. Tony pointed at his lips. "Here," he said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Pepper gave him a small smile before they kissed. They stayed like that – patient and nurse in liplock – for an uncounted amount of time. Pepper pulled back, smoothed his hair, and eased him into a sleeping position. She got up to leave.

"My balls don't hurt either."

"Go to bed, Tony."

* * *

Gotta love his humor. R & R, please.


	4. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

Sorry for the long wait. But, it's spring break and I've never been much of a partier… so here you go. My spring present to you.

Disclaimer: Nothing belonging to Marvel has any relation to me.

* * *

This was getting ridiculous.

He'd gone through bouts of insomnia, but never like this.

It was at least 3AM, and he had tried going to bed early – 10 PM, even – just to try to go to sleep. The drugs didn't work (they were also one more thing he didn't need to be addicted to), and none of the natural medicines Pepper recommended worked either.

Although he wished they had – some sign from the universe that she was always right.

_Pepper._

Just thinking about her made his heart beat a little faster, his breath a little shorter, and his stomach do a flip. It didn't help that she was visiting her parents in Massachusetts for the weekend and he'd had to do without her for a grand total of 34 hours and counting.

He rolled over in bed and tried to let the feeling pass. A racing heart was the last thing his chronic insomnia needed.

The moonlight. It must have been the moonlight that was keeping him up. Even though the windows were darkened by JARVIS, he could still feel the white of the moon glaring at his face, daring him to go to sleep.

He rolled over to the other side of the bed.

_Pepper._

There she was again. As if she wasn't there to wake him up, to pester him to do real work or sign forms, to run his life – she works during his dreams too. Reminding him to not dream about anything that would make the next morning awkward and to not drool.

He rolled back onto his back, realizing the uselessness of just laying in bed, waiting to sleep. He threw the covers off and wandered into the kitchen in hopes of finding something light to eat (or something heavy to drink).

He stopped in the hallway just as the kitchen entered his line of sight. He blinked twice and looked again.

Pepper.

There she was. In all of her red-headed glory, wearing nothing but her milky white skin, making herself a sandwich – bathed in the moonlight that had driven him down to the kitchen in the first place.

Tony stared. He studied the curve of her naked back, the fiery cascade of her hair, and the smallness of her body. It was easy to forget sometimes just how tiny she actually was when she towered over him with her heels and her personality. He watched her make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

He blinked.

As quickly as he saw her, she was gone.

He blinked again.

No Pepper. No sandwich. Nothing.

His state of insomnia got the better of him again. Letting his heart take a warm-down lap, he settled for eating a banana and some granola that Pepper had put out for him.

As he ate, he stared out the window of his living room. There were no lights on anywhere. No houses lit up like small candles, no boats on the Pacific, no cars on the highway. The world was still. He was sure he was the only human conscious at the time. Not a sound was heard. Even the waves of the ocean seemed to have taken a break for the night.

He went back to his room and threw himself on the bed. No sign of tiredness or exhaustion yet.

He thought about what his doctor said: _"Sometimes insomnia is a reaction to the amount of stress or responsibility in ones life. Or sometimes, it's because you feel as if your life is missing something and you can't rest until you have it."_

_How right he is_, Tony thought. _The second Pepper leaves, I can't even sleep because she's gone. I can't get her off my mind._

Pepper.

It all comes back to her.

He looked at his clock. 4:09 AM.

35 hours without Pepper.

_This is getting ridiculous_, he thought.

He looked at his cell phone by his bedside. No new messages. No missed calls. Nothing. It was 7 in Boston, and she should be awake, either on her run or making coffee and having breakfast. He pressed her speed dial number. Once more, and he would hear her voice again.

He couldn't bring himself to push the button a second time.

_I'm not this pathetic,_ he thought. _I'm better than this._

The silence in the house remained unbroken.

He couldn't tell if he was waiting for her to call, or if he was waiting for himself to admit he wanted to call.

_Okay, if she calls within the next five minutes, I'm getting mom's old wedding ring from the safe deposit box in the morning._

Two minutes passed.

_Hell, I'll drive there now. It's in a Swiss deposit box. They'd be open for me._

Another minute.

_I'll give up alcohol if she calls in the next two minutes. I swear I'll do it this time. Anything. Just call._

Another minute.

_Fine – I'll give up Iron Man. Rhodey can take him off my hands. I'll give up Iron Man if you call me in the next minute._

The five minutes was up.

4:14 AM. Still dark outside, except for the moon and the glow of the Arc Reactor.

He went back to staring at the ceiling.

It hadn't been this bad during the day. During the day, he could distract himself with any number of menial problems and tasks to do. He could work on the suit, his cars, or do real work to distract himself of her absence. But in the early hours of a new day, everything hit him harder than he expected. His real feelings, her smile… they all haunted him at the worst possible time. His defenses were down, and he was just him.

_This is the last time she leaves without me,_ he thought. _I just can't take it._

He was just getting warm under the covers and his eyes began to drift. At last, he thought.

It was then he realized, as he drifted off to sleep, what exactly he was feeling towards Pepper. It wasn't lust, angst, desire, passion or anything like that. No emotion could accurately describe it. It wasn't as simple as one word.

He needed her.

* * *

I actually should be getting to bed as well, now that I see the time. R&R please. It would be much appreciated.


End file.
